What’s something funny that’s happened to you in recent memory? Maybe you saw a dog ride down the street on a skateboard. What’s a unique story you have from childhood? Maybe you stuck tweezers in an electrical socket and lived to tell the tale. What’s a weird situation you’ve found yourself in? Maybe you literally ran into the CEO of a company and both bumped your head, while you were walking to your interview with that person.
“What if dolls came to life when you left the room?” ”What if people had tails?” ”What if the sky was electric purple?”
What about it made it weird? Would other people find it weird? How did the situation turn out?
“There will be little rubs and disappointments everywhere, and we are all apt to expect too much; but then, if one scheme of happiness fails, human nature turns to another; if the first calculation is wrong, we make a second better: we find comfort somewhere. "
Also, try using something visual. You could use a piece of art or an interesting photograph.
Where you cut the story is up to you. Give enough details to intrigue the writer but not enough to discourage them from being creative.
Most of the prompts listed in this article would work well with fiction or poetry; for nonfiction, use a question to spark an idea based on something that happened in the writer’s life, such as “What’s the most interesting thing that ever happened to you?”
